As reported by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in a December 2015 press release, the False Claims Act (FCA) remains the federal government’s primary means for combating fraud.  In 2015, the DOJ recovered $3.583 billion in FCA actions, the fourth year in a row that such recoveries have exceeded $3.5 billion.  While the majority of these recoveries were related to healthcare and defense-related government contracts (respectively, $1.9 billion and $1.1 billion), a sizable minority (around $500 million) related to fraud in other government programs.

Perhaps the most notable conclusions to be drawn from the DOJ’s recent report, however, relate to the role of whistleblowers in bringing and prosecuting FCA claims.  As stated in DOJ’s press release: “Most (FCA) actions are filed under the Act’s whistleblower, or qui tam, provisions that allow individuals to file lawsuits alleging false claims on behalf of the government.  If the government prevails in the action, the whistleblower, also known as the relator, receives up to 30 percent of the recovery.”  In 2015, the government recovered $2.9 billion from whistleblower-initiated lawsuits, and whistleblowers received a record-setting $597 million for their share.

Even more notable is the fact that in 2015, for the first time, whistleblower recoveries in cases where the government declined to intervene ($334.6 million) exceeded whistleblower recoveries in cases where the government intervened ($262.9 million) – e.g., the government made a formal appearance in the case and took the lead in litigating it.  (See Fraud Statistics Overview). This statistic is contrary to a prior commonly held belief that a government decision not to intervene was the “kiss of death” to the relator’s chances for recovery, and reflects the growing sophistication of the FCA plaintiff’s bar.  Notably, the total amount recovered in declined cases during 2015 ($1.149 billion) exceeded the amount recovered in declined cases for all prior years combined (approximately $1 billion during 1987-2014), and it remains to be seen whether 2015 is an outlier year for whistleblower recoveries.

Looking ahead, 2016 promises several notable developments relating to the False Claims Act:

• Increased Civil Penalties – Due to the recent passage of the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, the per claim civil penalties for the FCA (currently $5,500 to $11,000) will be adjusted to account for inflation by August 1, 2016, and again on January 15 of each subsequent year.  Agencies are allowed some discretion in reducing the penalty adjustment so long as certain procedures are followed and the Office of Management and Budget consents.
• Anticipated Supreme Court Decision – In order to resolve a long-standing split among the Federal Circuit courts, the U.S. Supreme Court has granted certiorari in U.S. ex rel. Escobar v. Universal Health Services (1st Cir. 2015).  The issues to be resolved focus on whether the “implied certification” theory of FCA liability – which establishes an FCA violation for presenting a claim to the government while in violation of a legal/contractual obligation, regardless of whether the claimant has expressly verified their compliance with that obligation – is valid.  If so, the Court will be presented with the question of whether implied certification requires that the legal or contractual obligation that was not complied with to expressly state that it is a condition of payment.  A ruling that implied certification need not be based on an express condition of payment arguably opens the door wide to a variety of FCA claims that have been since been denied by several circuits. Therefore, this decision will be closely watched.
• Fourth Circuit to Rule on Extrapolation in FCA cases – The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear an appeal in U.S. ex rel. Michaels et al. v. Agape Senior Community, Inc. (D.S.C. 2015)  regarding, among other issues, the reliance on statistical sampling to prove liability and damages.  The District court in Michaels held that while some cases may be suited for statistical sampling, the fact intensive nature of the claims before it rendered sampling unreliable.  Given the extent to which whistleblowers (and the government) rely upon statistical sampling in healthcare cases and the conflicting way in which lower courts have treated this methodology, this case may ultimately end up at the Supreme Court as well.

Given the potential liability associated with the False Claims Act (i.e., treble damages and significant statutory fines) and the growing likelihood of success for whistleblower-initiated lawsuits, companies that present claims to the federal government through contract or various programs should take care that their internal compliance programs are well-designed and that internal reports of fraud are promptly investigated.